At first glance, Stephen Navaretta’s hulking upper body looks to be the rewards of countless years of moving heavy iron in the weight room. You’d be wrong.
If you’re one of the nearly 300,000 Instagram followers of the athlete known as Brooklyn Tank, you’ve already witnessed excepts of his gravity defying body-weight training routine that’s helped create his shredded physique. From weighted muscle ups to clapping handstand pushup to kickouts, Tank’s version of body-weight training is anything but boring.
Even the origins behind his intro to body-weight-training, and his nickname is original.
“Growing up, breakdancing really helped me build foundation strength,” he says. “I was in the park one day and a friend of one of my friends saw me doing muscle-ups. He said, ‘Dude, that kid's a Tank!’ And it’s been my nickname ever since.”
Why is body-weight training so great?
You’re a far stronger person when you train calisthenics and power body-weight training, which is my way of training. It’s like you’re handling water weight, which is much more difficult to control. And, this is the type of strength you have outside of working out. Body weight also helps strengthen muscles we may have never thought we had—plus you can have fun with it! There’s always something cool to learn and do!
How long did it take to perfect the clapping handstand pushup?
It took me a few months to learn it. It was satisfying when I landed it (yet, not as much as when I did 50 triple-unders). To successfully do a clapping handstand pushup, you must master the handstand hold and pushups. Once you got that, then you can try the clapping pushup by going down with the handstand pushups then bending your legs to help thrust your body weight up as you push up.
What equipment do you feel works best for helping develop a six-pack?
A six-pack is the result of discipline. Exercises that help melt the fat and work the core at the same time are the best: You’ll need a jump rope, and add some burpees, sprints, and planks to your routine. What’s also helped me and my clients is eating carbs around our workouts. But I won’t eat carbs for dinner.
What would be your best advice for sticking with a workout regimen?
Don’t waste time. Just stay consistent for six weeks. Put in five days a week of training, plus stretch the other two days, and you’ll both see and feel the results. This is the hardest part because you’re constantly shocking your body, especially if you haven’t exercised. Mentally and physically, if you can stay consistent for those six weeks, you’ll be locked in. Stay strong.
Have you had to adapt your training during the coronavirus pandemic?
The park is home base for me, so nothing has changed. I have, however, started running more and doing walking lunges around the track.
TRAIN LIKE A TANK
TIME: 20 minutes, 5 rounds
EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Jump Rope
THE WORKOUT:
Five rounds of:
Jump Rope: 2 minutes
Burpees: 20 reps
WHY IT WORKS: “It’s quick and super effective for building a good-looking and working athletic body,” Tank says.
To stay updated with Brooklyn Tank, follow him on social media.
Instagram: @BROOKLYNTANK718
by Jeff Tomko